MIDDLEBURY — The German for Singers program will present a colorful operetta and opera pasticcio loosely based on Carl Millöcker’s operetta “Gasparone” (1884) — translation: “If only I was the thief.” The medley tells the story of the young Countess Carlotta who has fallen in love with the famous robber Gasparone during a robbery while the man who saved her from the hands of said robber, Count Ermione, is trying to win her heart. As Carlotta’s three impoverished cousins vie for Ermione’s attention, he decides to pose as a robber to make himself more attractive to the capricious Carlotta. His plan seems to be working just fine when an unexpected final turn of events reverses everyone’s good fortune once more . . .
Drawing on famous operettas and operas from the mid- to late 19th century, the pasticcio features audience favorites from the German-speaking countries that introduce listeners to the more light-hearted German operetta idiom less commonly heard on U.S. American stages.
“Gasparone” will be performed at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater on Friday, Aug. 9, and Saturday, Aug. 10, at 8 p.m. A limited number of $15 tickets will be available for guests who are not college ID holders. College ID holders will need to present their ID cards for free entrance. For tickets, visit townhalltheater.org, call (802) 382-9222, or visit the Town Hall Theater box office (Mon.-Sat., 12-5 p.m.)